EDUC 611

Educational technology is often underfunded, especially in private

schools who do not receive State or Federal funding due to not being aligned
to mandated regulations. This is important because of a changing society
and job market of increasing technology; students need access to technology
regardless of their school situation. One possible way to give students more
meaningful experiences with technology in the classroom is to provide
teachers in private schools in eastern Kentucky with more updated desk-top
computers and students with handheld devices such as iPads or Tablets.
Teachers can create projects, assignments, and daily routines to provide
technology opportunities for students. Programs and software designed to
supplement lesson plans, core content, as well as cooperative learning can
be downloaded and installed on classroom computers. Students can make
deeper connections in core subjects, increase skills of technology use, and
be more prepared to leave school and be an effective citizen in society.
This possible educational technology-related Action Research Project
fits into my current instructional environment because as a Humanities
teacher in a Christian Private school, there is no funding for instruments or
supplies, let alone for technology. Resources such as iPads or Tablets would
be a cheaper option that most instruments and still provide musical
instruction and enrichment in accordance with Kentucky and National
program standards. This project could be called:
PROJECT COMPUTER LITERACY
Background and Significance
Major Objectives
Project Computer Literacy is an action research project focused on
establishing a computer literacy initiative in private schools in Eastern
Kentucky. The problem is that students in rural areas and private schools are
not graduating with sufficient exposure and knowledge of computer literacy
for todays technologically advanced society. Dictionary.com defines
computer literacy as basic, nontechnical knowledge about computers and
how to use them; familiarity and experience with computers, software, and
computer systems. Project Computer Literacy would seek to establish an
initiative for greater focused instruction of computers, software, and
computer systems for Preschool through 12th grade. The desired goals of this
project would be to see upgraded, and extended computer labs in schools
and individual classrooms, updated desktop computers for teachers, and
handheld devices for students in order to provide each student in each class
with access to an individual machine, focused computer literacy instruction
by qualified faculty, and to provide technology access in schools with limited
libraries or funding initiatives for large technology purchases. The specific
objective of this project is to accommodate the growing enrollment of nongrowing schools with equal access to technology. Too much reliance is being
made on students personal smartphones, iPads, tablets, and personal
laptops due to increase in enrollment and class sizes. While the use of

student personal technology can be beneficial in the classroom in certain

situations and social or collaborative projects, personal devices cannot be
required for classroom use and schools cannot be and are not liable for
damage to personal property while used at school. Also, there are students
who do not own smartphones or who are not allowed to bring them to class.
Literature Review
Different age groups respond differently when working at a computer
in the classroom. Research has revealed that using computers maintains and
expands skills in early childhood in the areas of the social, cognitive,
language, literacy, writing, and mathematic realmsinteract with peers
share and help one another, ask for and provide information and
explanations, and collaborate to solve problems. (McManis & Gunnewig,
2013) For early childhood education, computer instruction has a positive
influence on behavior. According to Dr. Alper T. Kumtepe (2006) research has
indicated that positive effects of computers on childrens social skills in
kindergarten depend on the level of proficiency in using one. Children
who used a computer more proficiently demonstrated more positive
social skills and less problem behaviors.It is essential to notice that
using computers more frequently in kindergarten did not result in any
negative social behavior as it was argued in the previous research. (p.
57)
As behavior problems are decreased in the classroom, enthusiasm for
learning can increase. Computer use has been shown to affect motivation,
engagement, and sustained attention among elementary studentsan effect
that lingers over a long period of time. (Wang & Ching, 2003) Evidence of
these studies are showing improvement and success of computer use in the
classroom and its effects on the students. The effects of computer use on
behavior, motivation, and even comprehension are keys to success on our
campus. A few studies have been conducted that compare reading in
electronic formats to textbook reading at the early childhood level, and these
studies found significant, positive differences for reading comprehension and
motivation through the use of electronic reading formats. (Russell & Cuevas,
2014) With the use of technology in the classroom influencing reading
comprehension, a need is established to have increased exposure to and
opportunity with computer use for educational purposes to create more
success. Having a larger computer lab allows students more than the 45-54
minute time slot (depending on the grade) once a week. In the same journal
article, authors Russell & Cuevas state that In both elementary and high
school students, amount of reading time significantly predicted and
positively correlated with reading comprehension there is a strong
correlation between time spent reading and reading achievement levels.
More specifically, time spent reading in school was linked to higher
performance on standardized measures of reading comprehension. (p 58)

Significance
For older children in middle school and high school, students having
individual access to computers can bring greater opportunity and more
meaningful connections for instruction of core subjects. According to
Meridian: A K-12 School Computer Technologies Journal, author TJ Wolfe
discusses research supporting utilizing newer, innovative technology in
education to deliver the basic support needed in order to bring greater
understanding to core subject areas. Examples include projects for Language
Arts (such as electronic journaling online), virtual spreadsheets of
information about global economy for Social Studies classes, graphing in
Math classes utilizing current software, charting projects for Science classes
with a blog used for a reflection. (2011, online) Engaging students in lessons
such as these provides these older students more preparation to continue
their education in College. Computer technology is being routinely used in
college classrooms through podcast-ing, classroom management systems,
and online courses. Some professors are also using virtual environments and
virtual reality to engage students within the classroom. (Perry, 2012) With
ever-changing and ever-growing technology, teachers are being required to
integrate technology in the classroom. Researchers believe that educators
and educational agencies must stress teaching and learning in 21st century
content, skills, and assessments. (Wolfe, 2011)
The significance of Project Computer Lab is to affect learning, increase
computer skills, and influence life skills with real-world application. This
self-contained nature, together with an interactive quality, sustains students
interest and keeps them busy. Consequently, computers tend to attract less
teacher intervention and leave more freedom for children to explore on their
own compared to other cultural artifacts in the classroom. (Wang & Ching,
2003)
Teachers and students both agree that more computers in their school
are beneficial to learning. Project Computer Lab, if funded, will assist with the
growing and changing technology already used in private schools in eastern
Kentucky
Project Description
Project Computer Lab will focus on a formative evaluation of the
feasibility of meeting computer and technology needs of private schools in
eastern Kentucky. A process evaluation approach will guide the collection and
analysis of information. Two specific evaluation questions have been
identified. The first is, Can the computer and software needs in private
schools in eastern Kentucky be isolated? This question will drive efforts in
collecting data. The second question is, Can enough computer and
technology needs be met in the private schools of eastern Kentucky?
Administering a survey to all public and private schools in Kentucky in order
to describe the technology needs of schools will use a simple descriptive
research design. The collected data will then be used to determine how

much equipment can be purchased for each school according to the budget
of the grant. A second way to collect information is through the use of
informal interviews with principals. These interviews are non-structured
conversations with the school personnel and administration with the intent
to gain perspective on the concerns teachers have about technology use in
the classroom.